August 12, 2010

Reporters Notebooks

Kevin Scarbinsky, Birmingham News: The latest reason the Bowl Championship Series is a joke. Part of the formula for selecting the teams to meet in the BCS title game involves selecting voters for the USA Today Coaches' poll. They do this by putting names in a hat. This begs the question: Why not have all the coaches vote?

Michael Hiestand, USA Today: Mike Mayock, the new analyst on NBC's
broadcast of Notre Dame games, has no love for TV executives: "That's
one of my pet peeves and frustrations — it's an industry that's hard to
get into if you're not a household name," he says of broadcasting. "A
lot of TV executives don't like to hear this, but it's one of the few
industries where guys running the ship know less than the guys they're hiring. When we're
talking [Xs and O's] gobbledygook, a lot of these guys don't know who's
right or wrong and just go off name and reputation."

Scott Wolf, Los Angeles Daily News: USC freshman tailback Dillon Baxter
was suspended for the opener against Hawaii after an incident at a
dormitory. USC's department of public safety listed an incident at 2:47
a.m. Tuesday that said a "student was cited to Judicial Affairs for
violating a team curfew and being under the influence
of a controlled substance." Plus, former Tennessee offensive lineman
Aaron Douglas contacted USC about enrolling in January and
joining the team next season.

Bleed Crimson: New Mexico State's DeWayne Walker became the latest
coach to ban players from using Twitter
during this season.

Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: If you thought the blue turf was hard on your eyes, try being a Boise State coach. The coaches review footage of practice every day and it was their complaints that resulted in FieldTurf agreeing to replace the 2-year-old playing surface in Bronco Stadium this summer to eliminate the glare issue that also drew complaints from fans and TV viewers. Plus, Boise State assistant coaches have accepted new contracts that
will slow the escalation that has doubled
their salary pool in only four years and made them some of the
best-paid assistants in the West.

Brett Vito, Denton Record-Chronicle: North Texas coach Todd Dodge
acknowledged that he has been
given an ultimatum — generally understood to be win seven games
this season or else.

Gary Laney, Baton Rouge Advocate: Louisiana State's Les Miles defends his practice of grayshirting. "I can tell you no one is more critical of how I operate than me," he said. "I can tell you the guys I visited with and I told, for the team, it might well be the best thing for you physically and might well be best for you and your health and by the count of numbers and scholarships, you might benefit the most by postponing your entrance into school."

Bobby La Gesse, Ames Tribune: Quick work by Iowa State players helped save the Jacobson Building, which houses most of the athletics department, from Wednesday's flood, which was sparked by nine inches of rain in three days.

Smart Football: Can the West Coast Offense be taught anywhere besides the NFL?

Lynn Henning, Detroit News: Rich Rodriguez will need to overachieve to extend his stay at Michigan. Otherwise, it's time to hire Jim Harbaugh.

Jack Bogaczyk, Charleston Daily Mail: Maybe this would be an opportune time for some of the good folks in West Virginia University athletics — and in the Puskar Center's football offices in particular — to read the NCAA Manual.

J.P. Giglio, Raleigh News & Observer: Former North Carolina player Kentwan Balmer, now with the NFL's San Diego Chargers, paid for his college teammates, Marvin Austin and Cam Thomas, to travel to California in the summer of 2009, an apparent violation of NCAA rules.

Mike Organ, Tennessean: Bobby Johnson was back at Vanderbilt practice, this time as a visitor. He agreed to an interview that lasted 49 seconds. "I've got an early tee time," Johnson said. "I've got to go."

Jon Solomon, Birmingham News: Gil Brandt, the former vice president of player personnel of the Dallas Cowboys, questions Nick Saban's ban on NFL scouts.

Courtney Linehan, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: College football is big business, and the people who run it should be held accountable to the people who pay for it. That's why Tommy Tuberville made a mistake when he closed fall practices.

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press: Michigan's thin secondary has lost
cornerback Justin Turner, who asked for and was granted his scholarship
release. He is the sixth defensive back to leave in
the past year.

Frank Schwab, Colorado Springs Gazette: Fall practice is a breeze for Air Force freshmen, who say it is a lot better than what they go through during basic training.

Larry Hannan, Florida Times-Union: The Jacksonville City Council is expected to rubber stamp an agreement to keep the Florida-Georgia game in the city until 2017.

David Scott, Charlotte Observer: North Carolina Charlotte celebrated the news that it will start a program in 2013 with an on-campus celebration and reception.

Paul Myerberg, Pre-Snap Read: Counting them down with a look at No. 23 Houston and No. 22 Oregon State.

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